


The Curse

by kethni



Category: Veep (TV)
Genre: F/M, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 12:50:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14081313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kethni/pseuds/kethni
Summary: ‘I’m in the mood for some fucking cuddles,’ she said. ‘That a problem?’‘Never,’ he said.





	The Curse

 

 

Selina was trying to shout, trying to scream, but there was no sound, no moan or whimper that could escape. She was being dragged into the frozen darkness, deeper and deeper and

‘Selina, you’re having a nightmare. Wake…’

‘Get the fuck away!’

‘Okay.’

Selina covered her face with a pillow. ‘I had a fucking nightmare.’

He pulled the pillow away. ‘I know. Here, have some coffee.’

Selina grumbled as she sat up. ‘I dreamed I was the vice president,’ she said.

Kent handed her a mug of coffee. ‘I have terrible news for you: you are.’

She groaned sadly, and gulped coffee. ‘You had to say it.’

Kent stood up and walked to the wardrobe.

‘Don’t put on that tie,’ Selina said. ‘Put on the blue silk with the dark blue triangles.’

He looked at her over his shoulder. ‘I can dress myself.’

‘Yeah, but I’m the one who’s gotta look at you.’

Kent put his hand on his hip. ‘By that logic, I should be able to tell you what to wear.’

‘Fucking try it,’ Selina growled.

‘As I thought.’ He put on an entirely different tie, red and white stripes, and walked to the door.

‘Where the fuck are you going?’

‘To work.’

She scowled. ‘You’re a glorified panhandler. Come work for me, I’ll treat you right.’

‘I’m chief strategist for a multinational charity with a billion-dollar turnover,’ he said.

‘Ugh!’ Selina rolled her eyes. ‘Fine. Come work for me anyway.’

‘No.’ Kent bent down to kiss her cheek.

‘Why the fuck not?’ she demanded, as he walked out of the room. She banged the mug of coffee down on the bedside table, scrambled out of bed, and followed him. He had much longer legs than she did and had already reached the stairs. Selina cursed the marble steps and her bare feet.

‘Hey, come back here!’ she said, hopping down the stairs.

Kent stopped and turned around. ‘What’re you doing?’

‘I’m trying to talk to my lover,’ she retorted. ‘Quit grinning.’

‘You’re naked,’ he pointed out. ‘There are secret service desperately avoiding looking at you. Also, your bag man and your chief of staff.’

Selina looked over the bannister. Below she could see Amy, staring at a wall in the distance, and Gary, turned with his face to the wall.

‘You wanna give me your shirt?’ Selina asked sheepishly.

‘Not particularly,’ Kent said. ‘And you could be back in your room in the time it would take.’

Selina flipped back her hair. ‘I’m gonna remember this,’ she said,

‘I will too,’ Kent said, watching her storm upstairs.

‘Asshole!’ she yelled back.

***

It wasn’t the first time that Amy had seen Selina naked. It _was_ the first time that Gary had come close to it. At least, that’s what Selina thought. Frankly, them seeing her naked was about as important as her mom’s dog seeing her naked.

Selina didn’t give it a thought as she got dressed. She had a lot of other things on her mind. Her Clean Jobs Bill. Hughes’ ongoing refusal to acknowledge her, let alone give her the credit she deserved. The whole business with Kent.

It made her… twitchy. Selina was nobody’s meek and mild “other half” but there were ways in which she was surprisingly old-fashioned. She wanted a partner, not merely a lover.  

Selina wondered if the urge to curl up in a ball under her desk might be relieved by kicking Roger Furlong in the nutsack. Probably not. But it was a nice thing to think about as he ranted on.

‘What the fuck is wrong with your stomach?’ he asked, pausing between streams of invective.

‘It’s not my stomach, it’s my uterus,’ she snapped.

‘Oh! Oh God!’ Roger said, stepping back.

‘It’s not infectious,’ Selina retorted.

‘My wife finds hot honey and lemon helps,’ Will murmured. ‘And a warm towel?’

‘Should you be at work?’ Furlong asked.

‘I’m fine,’ Selina said firmly. ‘Although the honey and lemon sounds good, maybe with a shot of whiskey.’

‘I’ll go get some,’ Gary muttered.

‘Just the whiskey for me,’ Furlong said.

Selina rolled her eyes. Fucking men thought that a cold was the end of the world, and then acted like a woman being on her period was either whining about nothing, or patient zero in the zombie plague. Andrew had been elegantly disgusted by all of it. Selina had ignored his shitty attitude until he had icily told Catherine not to leave her tampons in the bathroom. Fuck that. Fuck the lot of them.

The honey and lemon didn’t help much. Sue, whose grasp of Selina’s calendar was absolute, had scheduled a half-hour break into her morning meetings. As Selina lay curled on her couch, Gary brought her painkillers and a hot water bottle.

‘Gary? Do you have my phone?’

‘Uh huh, absolutely,’ he said, digging into the bag. ‘Do you want to call someone?’

‘I want to text Kent,’ she said. She pulled a face at his expression. ‘Not like that. Jesus. Do I look like I feel sexy?’

‘Well –’

Selina yanked the phone from his hand. ‘I asked him to come work for me and he said no.’

‘Oh no!’ Gary said. It was only horribly fake. He was getting better.

**_I’m lying here feeling like I’m being punched in the uterus and Gary thinks I want to sext -_** she texted.

**Can I help? -** he replied half a minute later.

**_With the cramp or the sexting?_ **

**Either. Or I could have my nieces tell him all about cramping. They take it very personally.**

Selina sniggered. Sarah and Ellen were fifteen and, Kent had told her, had been named for Sarah Connor and Ellen Ripley. The references hadn’t meant much to Selina, she didn’t have the time for movies and stuck to stress-free, saccharine comedies or musicals. But Kent assured they were well-named. Selina certainly found them to be bracing companions. Catherine’s arguments about movies had been dismantled in a brisk, no-nonsense, cheerful fashion. They were quite a bit younger than Catherine, and openly intrigued by the secret service and her relative public profile, but they hadn’t been remotely fazed.

‘Hey Gary,’ Selina said. ‘Find out when Kent’s nieces have their birthday. I couldn’t make it last time. This time I want to make sure that I do.’

He tried to look enthusiastic, but failed. He didn’t like teenagers, he didn’t like Kent, and he didn’t like anyone stealing Selina’s attention.

‘It’s three weeks after your anniversary,’ Gary said.

‘With Kent?’ Selina asked. ‘So… June? Talk to Sue, make sure the day is clear.’

Kent didn’t have kids: he had cats, and he had niblings. Selina teased him about both, especially his cats. He had two: a huge orange tom called Rowan and a tricolour female called Celeste. He loved those furry fuckers. It was one topic that he and Catherine could discuss without any argument or debate. He had surprised both Catherine and Selina by being passionate and informed about animals; that had earned more respect from Catherine than any other of Selina’s boyfriends had managed.

**_You could come and hand feed me chocolate -_** she texted.

**I thought this wasn’t a sext?**

**_It isn’t. It’s about chocolate, not sex._ **

**Okay.**

**_Okay?_ ** **\- she texted.**

**Do you need anything else? Painkillers, hot water bottle, ice cream?**

**_No. Gary has painkillers and I can’t have ice cream :c_ **

**Are you sure? I’m quite happy to bring ice cream. - He texted.**

**_You’re a bad influence. No ice cream!_ **

**I’m on my way.**

Sue came in then, to tell Selina that her eleven o’clock meeting was here. Angry oil people. Yay.

‘Hey, Sue, Kent’s coming over. Can you make sure he gets through security okay this time?’

Sue raised an eyebrow. She did not say “tell Gary.” She didn’t have to.

‘Of course,’ she said. ‘Will he be attending the lunch with the Women’s Caucus?’

Selina snorted. ‘When was the last time that Kent came to a political event?’

‘The inauguration,’ Sue said.

‘Oh yeah.’ Selina shifted on the couch. ‘You never bring... um...’

‘Sean,’ Sue said. ‘He also finds politics unengaging.’

‘Do you go to his stuff?’

Sue shrugged. ‘On occasion to parties. Never conferences or seminars. They are beyond dull.’

‘You wouldn’t go to a Women’s Caucus if you were Kent?’ Selina asked.

Sue turned to leave the room. ‘I’m me, and I wouldn’t go.’

Selina rolled her eyes as she sat up. Women’s Caucus. That was one of Dan’s ideas. Amy would run a mile before she’d consider it.

There was a flurry of voices in the bullpen. God, Selina hoped it wasn’t a mass shooting or a terrorist attack. She didn’t have the energy for “thoughts and prayers” or whatever the current “pat on the head and do nothing” phrase was.

But she recognised Kent’s brisk knock on the door. Selina straightened her hair and was adjusting her bra as he walked in.

‘Not making yourself up for me?’ he asked.

‘I was lay down, and my boobs got squashed.’

He sat beside her on the couch and handed her a small grocery bag. ‘I’m very fond of your squashy breasts.’

‘Asshole,’ Selina said, opening the bag.

Kent began rubbing her lower back. ‘I can’t stay long.’

‘Yeah. I know,’ Selina grumbled. ‘Jesus, how much chocolate do you think I can eat?’

‘As much as you want, I hope.’

There were microwavable pads in the bag, along with a small tub of mint chocolate mousse. Selina groaned softly.

‘Gary would not approve. He doesn’t even approve of chocolate,’ she said.

Kent shrugged. ‘Don’t tell him. It’ll only upset him. Pretend it’s like your smoking.’

Selina felt herself flush. ‘I haven’t had a cigarette since... I don’t know when.’

‘Tuesday.’

‘No, no, no,’ she said. ‘It was... months.’

Kent gave her a look. ‘It was Tuesday, Selina.’

She scowled. ‘Feed me some chocolate.’

He didn’t hurry as he peeled off the paper and carefully ripped the crisp purple foil. ‘I’ll have to go in a couple of minutes,’ he said.

‘Well, I have people waiting,’ she said.

He broke a piece of chocolate off with a click. He put it her lips and she snapped her teeth, playfully grazing his fingers.

‘That wasn’t very nice,’ he said.

‘I can be nicer than that,’ she said.

‘I’m thrilled to hear it.’ He kissed her softly on the lips, and then stood up.

‘Fuck,’ Selina said.

‘I need to get my black shoes from your place.’

She slumped back. ‘Oh. Yeah. You’ve got your charity blah blah blah.’

He rolled his eyes. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’

‘Yeah, you better.’

She watched him go, and had couple more pieces of chocolate before Gary came in and tutted at her.

‘Why don’t you like Kent?’ she asked.

Gary’s laugh was high-pitched and too fast. ‘I like Mr Davison just fine.’

‘This is your one chance to tell me,’ Selina said. ‘You’ve got half a minute.’

Gary’s mouth twitched. ‘He doesn’t support your career,’ he said. ‘And he’s just a staffer. He’s not good enough you.’

Selina opened her mouth and started to say, “he’s not a staffer anymore,” but Amy turned into the office.

‘There’s been an earthquake in Texas,’ Amy said.

‘Fuck!’ Selina pressed her hand to her forehead.

***

Dan kept Selina updated with Texas death and damage reports as she endured the caucus. She still felt like someone had her ovaries in a vice. Gary had given her some painkillers, real ones not his old wives tales bullshit, and that had taken the edge off.

**_I wish you were here -_ ** **she texted Kent.**

**Why?**

**_Because if I’m fucking miserable you should be too._ **

**Who says I’m not miserable where I am?- he texted.**

**Selina rubbed her belly. _Did you slam your dick in a car door?_**

**Not today.**

**_Smart ass. Then you’re not as miserable as me._ **

Selina had dated men who wanted to horn in on her career. Andrew viewed the whole of her senate career as a money-making scheme. Phillip had just want to do parties and drinks the whole time they dated. But plenty of other guys either weren’t interested, didn’t care, or were resentful.

Kent would listen to her bitch and moan for hours. He’d offer thoughtful suggestions, if she didn’t tell him upfront not to. It was just... He’d been working for Hughes when they met. It was _how_ they met. They’d agreed then to keep work and their private lives separate, had to, and they’d keep doing that even when Kent’s contract ended.

Maybe she should’ve asked him to work for her then, but they hadn’t been dating long. She hadn’t asked and he never suggested it. He hadn’t struggled to find work. But she still wondered. Andrew had been so dependant... no. That was the wrong word. Andrew was a leech. Even now, Selina always wondered if Kent expected her to support him financially, and was secretly resentful that she didn’t.

Okay, not always wondered. Just now and then it niggled at her. It was dumb, it was worse than dumb. It was fucking idiotic. Kent was _nothing_ like Andrew had never shown any interest in her money. The only conversation they ever really had about money was when he got a little uncomfortable that he thought she’d spent too much on his birthday or whatever.

After the caucus, she was buffeting between pre-arranged meetings and emergency briefings about the disaster. All when what she most wanted to do was curl up on the couch, and only leave it to get to the bathroom. She finally crawled back home just after seven, dropping her shoes and dress as she headed for the stairs. Behind her, the valet picked up her things and put them away, as unseen and unacknowledged as ever.

Selina crawled upstairs towards the rectangle of light. She could hear water pouring in the bathroom. Into the bath.

Who was running a fucking bath?

‘You were so long, I was becoming concerned you were going to be out all night,’ Kent said, taking her bag and offering her his free arm. ‘I’ve drawn you a bath.’

‘Aren’t you going to a charity thing?’ she muttered.

‘I was supposed to,’ he said. ‘Have you eaten?’

‘Had a sandwich,’ she whined.

Kent led her into the bathroom. He turned her around and unbuttoned her dress. ‘I’ll have your chef make something for us.’

Selina pouted as she shimmied out of her dress. ‘Don’t be long.’

Kent cocked his head. ‘You don’t seem in the mood for anything... affectionate.’

‘I’m in the mood for some fucking cuddles,’ she said. ‘That a problem?’

‘Never,’ he said.

***

Selina felt a breeze prickle across her shoulders as the bathroom door was opened.

‘Your chef is preparing some supper,’ Kent said.

‘Okay,’ she said. She looked at Kent over her shoulder. ‘Get in.’

‘In the bath?’

‘Not gonna ask you twice.’

Kent undressed. ‘You were asking? It felt like an order.’

Selina shifted forward. ‘Potato, potahtoe.’

‘How do you feel?’ Kent asked, sliding in behind her.

‘Shitty.’ She leaned back against him.

‘Bad day?’ he asked, sliding his arms around her waist.

‘Assholes to the left of me and dicks to the right.’

Kent kissed her ear. ‘Here you are. Stuck in the middle with me.’

Selina groaned half-heartedly and tipped back her head. ‘I feel horrible.’

‘I know,’ Kent said.

She looked at him over her shoulder. ‘I mean… Tonight I’m not, you know…’

Kent nodded agreeably. ‘Tonight, you want to cuddle and complain about how miserable you feel, and nothing else.’

Selina nodded. ‘Yep.’

‘Sounds good,’ Kent said.

She gave him a disbelieving look. ‘You think?’

He nuzzled her cheek. ‘I’m happy to curl up together.’

‘Yeah?’ she asked.

‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘Just like every month.’

Selina rolled her eyes. ‘Shut the fuck up.’

The End

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
